Best Android phones of 2015

Update: LG G4 joins the list

We're inundated with choice in the Android marketplace, but each year there are only a few devices that really rise to the top of the heap to contend for the title of best Android phone. With the likes of the Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9 now tempting smartphone owners everywhere, there's no better time to update our list. Of course, there are flagships galore, but expect a couple of lower-end great-value devices to creep in too. To help you sort the wheat from the chaff, here are the best Android smartphones to buy in 2015.

1. Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge

It may seem strange or even somehow corrupt to have two phones sharing the top spot, but the sheer quality of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge - and their similarity to each other - means they both deserve it. After a couple of years of resting on its laurels with the 'S' series design, Samsung has finally listened to its fans and create a phone that has a look to match its next-generation hardware. It's an elegant, glossy combination of glass and metal that eradicates the memory of Samsung's previous plastic flagships.

Bravely, Samsung has done away with a microSD slot and removable back cover, which is a powerful way of saying that everything you need in a phone is already contained within the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. A non-removable battery seems all the braver given the phones' QHD displays, but it does a great job, and is boosted by a one-hour fast-charge function. The S6 duo are also by far and away the fastest phones in the world thanks to the latest model of Samsung's octa-core Exynos chipsets.

The S6 Edge differs from the S6 by way, of course, of the screen which curves down onto both sides of the phone, offering its own unique set of features, notifications and apps design. It also has a slightly bigger battery.

Top-of-the-market quality comes at a price. The Galaxy S6 price starts at 699 USD in the US and 599 GBP in the UK, while S6 Edge is quite a bit pricer, starting at 899 USD and 699 GBP.

2. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

The Galaxy Note 4 has been a truly satisfying release from Samsung where the Korean giant has done almost everything right: it has continued to focus on the basics, which the company first told us about when they released the Galaxy S5. What Samsung failed to achieve with the S5 it has done fantastically with the Note 4. Samsung clearly listened to what fans have to say about bloatware and design.

This focus on the basics has endowed the Galaxy Note 4 with an exceptional camera, excellent battery, brilliant screen, great specs, minimal bloatware, revised design and updated TouchWiz user interface. But the Note series has always been about the S Pen stylus, and the Note 4 has simplified, improved and perfected the S Pen and software that supports it. This is an extremely good phone, and can now be bought for around 620 USD for an unlocked international version, and 500 GBP in the UK.

3. LG G4

The LG G4 is a beautiful, mildly curvaceous device. Taking some cues from the crescent-shaped G Flex 2 as well as the popular G3, LG has got that bit closer to perfection with the G4.

On paper, the 5.5-inch QHD display on the LG G4 display seems similar to its predecessor's, but LG manages to squeeze even more brightness and more natural colors out of it on the G4. The LG G4 turned its back on eight-core power and opted for the six-core Snapdragon 808, showing that it can do the job nearly as well. The camera has also taken a bump up to 16MP, and the fancy camera tech really shines through in the snaps you take (see picture above). The LG G4 price isn't bad either, starting at 649 USD/500 GBP for the plastic-backed variant, and 699 USD/525 GBP for the seductive leather version (which we recommend).

It'd also be remiss of us not to give a nod to the brilliant LG G3 here, which remains a top phone and can be picked up for around 400 USD or 300 GBP these days - an absolute bargain.

4. Sony Xperia Z3

The Sony Xperia Z3 is not a huge improvement over the Z2, but it is still enough of an upgrade to make it one of the finest phones available. Internally there's a lot that stays the same between the current and previous model but Sony has made a few key improvements that actually add up to a lot more than the specs sheet might suggest.

The Xperia Z3 has had its screen tweaked to produce better results. It has a slightly faster processor, and a well thought-out design change with metal frame and rubberized plastic corners to act as built-in shock absorbent bumpers and a better waterproof rating. The Xperia Z3 price currently sits around the 500 USD mark in the US, and 300 GBP in the UK.

Its smaller cousin, the Xperia Z3 Compact, is well worth a look too, thanks to internal specifications that pretty much match the Xperia Z3, but squeeze them in behind a 4.6-inch display. If you're not into the the trend of ever-growing smartphones, then you should consider the Xperia Z3 Compact, which is the best smaller-sized phone you can find, and costs around 100 USD less than the Z3.

5. Nexus 6

We waited and waited for this one. Then we waited some more, then finally when the Nexus 6 arrived in our hands, our initial feelings were mixed. Was the Nexus 6 just too big? Thankfully, it didn't take long for this Motorola-designed flagship to win us round.

An improvement over the Nexus 5 in every way, the Nexus 6 is rocking a QHD display, and what better way to show it off than on a huge 6-inch screen. Stock Android 5.0 Lollipop straight out of the box, one of the best processors currently on the market, and a 13 MP camera with OIS and dual-LED flash round out specs on a device worthy of its 649 USD price tag. The fact that it's water resistant, and you can pump around 6 hours of battery into it in just 15 minutes thanks to its included turbo-charger only sweetens the deal. The Nexus 6 price ranges between 250 USD on contract, to 650 USD outright (32 GB) or just over 1000 USD (64 GB). UK buyers can find it form around 500 GBP

6.LG G Flex 2

Definitely the biggest oddball on our list, but we have a lot of love for the curved design on the G Flex 2. While there's a lot of excitement around the mild curves on the Galaxy S6 Edge, they're not nearly as audacious as the curved-screen design of the G Flex 2. it was the first phone to come packing a 64-bit Snapdragon 810, which is still one of the most powerful on the market, and it also has a solid 13MP camera.

Much was made of the 'self-healing' coating on the LG G Flex 2, but when we carried out a test ourselves, it unfortunately failed to come good on this impressive promise. Every smartphone maker is prone to a bit of marketing hyperbole though, so we're prepared to forgive it on account of its otherwise innovative and powerful features.

The LG G Flex 2 price starts at around 800 USD in the US, and 500 GBP in the UK.

7. HTC One M9

The poor HTC One M9 in some ways had the toughest job to impress us. Its predecessor - the One M8 - was lauded for its stunning design, and HTC made the decision to keep the external look more or less the same for the One M9. Not only that, they've stuck to the same 5-inch Full HD display while other phones have moved towards QHD. The familiar look of the One M9 meant that it had no chance to dazzle us quite like its predecessor a year ago.

Despite keeping things as they were externally - albeit with a bit more sheen - the HTC One M9 is still one of the most powerful and eye-catching phones around. HTC's decision to move the 4MP UltraPixel camera round to the front of the phone was a good one, leaving the back of the phone with a 20MP snapper. Its Snapdragon 810 chipset ranks the One M9 just short of the Galaxy S6 in terms of power, and it offers crisp stereo audio thanks to upgraded BoomSound speakers.

Premium quality comes at a premium price, so you can expect to pay 650 USD in the US, and around 580 GBP in the UK for the One M9.

8. Motorola Moto G (2014)

Motorola knocked our socks off with the original Moto G. It was an incredibly low-priced smartphone that delivered great performance. Motorola improved on that recipe with the Moto G (2014). Motorola knows the specs race isn't everything, so lots of the internals remain the same between the two generations, but three key additions have been made in the new Moto G (2014): microSD expansion, a better camera and stereo front-facing speakers.

Thanks to the very minimal changes that Motorola makes to stock Android, the new Moto G (2014) will get the latest Android updates just as fast as Nexus devices; it was one of the earliest handsets to be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. The Moto G (2014) delivers rock solid performance, rapid updates and a bloat-free interface at a rock bottom price. In its class it is unbeatable, and it might even make you reconsider forking out for a full-priced flagship when you can get an Android experience this good for this price. The Moto G (2014) price is just 179.99 USD outright, and 138 GBP in the UK.

9. Huawei Ascend Mate 7

Huawei has really produced a winner with the Ascend Mate 7, which is the oddly-named successor to the Mate 2. The Mate 7 actually has a 6-inch screen, but even if the name is a little confusing, the device is pure magic. Looking like a redesigned HTC One Max gives the Mate 7 a very refined appearance and the all-new EMUI 3.0 is a nicely balanced and unique user interface. Huawei's usual mix of interesting and useful software additions add nice extras, but it's really all about the fantastic finger scanner, which is the best on Android so far.

The Mate 7 is also a bit of a hardware beast, and using the device is snappy and enjoyable. Add to that a relatively low price tag and a fantastic 4,100 mAh battery and the Mate 7 demands you pay attention. Not having an app drawer is a slightly weird quirk that you quickly get used to, and it is more than made up for by Huawei's attention to detail. Everything about the Mate 7 screams premium and it thoroughly deserves a spot on this list and wider distribution than it currently enjoys. The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 price starts at 515 USD for a 16 GB unlocked version. In the UK, the price starts as low as 325 GBP on Amazon.co.uk.

10. Moto X (2014)

The Moto X is a stylish, powerful phone that's worthy of its flagship status at Motorola. True to Motorola's reputation for offering plenty of customizability, the Moto X lets you choose between leather and wood back covers, framed by a metallic rim all around the sides.

At 5.2 inches, the Moto X has a big display with a Full HD resolution. One of its biggest plus-point in our eyes is the fact that it runs an almost-stock version of Android, and is quick to receive the latest updates (it was running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop at the time of writing). This also means minimal bloatware, leaving you to fill the phone up with the apps you want.

Despite our criticisms of its weak battery and underwhelming camera, the Moto X is a fast and well-designed phone, with a tempting mid-range price of 499 USD in the US, and 386 GBP in the UK.

Kris Carlon comes to the AndroidPIT Editorial Team via a lengthy period spent traveling and relying on technology to keep him in touch with the outside world. He joined the Android community while resurfacing in civilization back in 2010 and has never looked back, using technology to replace his actual presence in other people's lives ever since. He can usually be found juggling three phones at once and poring over G+ posts, Reddit and RSS feeds.

These are nice phones, im happy LG G4 made it, even though i didn't buy it cause im waiting for that rumored "super premium phone from them. hehe. that could be the number one if not note 5!! :bd #lgfan

Galaxy note 4, it's the best phone I've owned and I have owned quite a few, my girlfriend just picked up the sony Xperia z3, and after playing with it for awhile I'm surprised that Sony's not selling a Crap ton of these, now I just have to convince her to let me take in the tub for some underwater photography, it's truly the one want for my gn4, the waterproofing that is.)

One truly great cell phone missing from this list is the Motorola XT1225 (aka Moto Maxx and Droid Turbo).This phone has a two day battery with a 15 minute recharge to 80% capacity, 64GB memory, 3GB RAM and a 21mp camera to name a few features. It also allows you to ring your phone plus send and receive phone texts through your computer via a Motorola Connect extension on a Chrome browser. My carrier ATT doesn't offer this phone yet so I bought one online through Fusion Electronix, got a great price and the discount ATT gave me for buying a phone actually saves me money over leasing this phone from Verizon. Look into it. You'll like what you see.

still waiting on mine to arrive, but looking purely on specs, it beats most of the devices here on the list.Sadly i can talk about the specs only for now, until i have it in my hands.

On a side note, never thought the s6 was such a big bump up from older models until i read this article. Guess i gave up on samsung (all previous andro's i owned were samsung) because of low customer support.

i own a G3 and it was well deserved at no.3 and the M9 mannn if the overheating issue and the camera i didnt like the m9 not worth it to upgrade m7 to m9 look the other way like the s6 or the g4 even the Note5 or the Next Nexus

Yeah man samsung company sucks just because of their integrated os Touchwiz. Now i m never gonna buy any sasmung phone in my whole life.Even i'll prefer to live without any phone instead of samsung's laggy devices.